Students at The Sheffield College have held a question and answer session with one of their local MPs as part of UK Parliament Week.
Louise Haigh met students completing a range of academic and vocational courses including representatives from The Sheffield College Students’ Union.
The Sheffield Heeley MP discussed the workings of Parliament, how legislation is made and the issues that matter to students during the event at City Campus, Granville Road.
The topics covered included access to affordable housing, artificial intelligence and whether it can be regulated, public transport and bus fares, the minimum wage increase, community safety and crime prevention.
UK Parliament Week is an annual event that aims to raise awareness of what Parliament does and how citizens can get involved in the issues they care about.
Staff across The Sheffield College ran a series of sessions and shared resources during tutorials about the week, which ran from 24th to 30th November 2025. These activities are part of the active citizenship and democracy strands of the tutorial and personal development work that students complete at the college.
Angela Foulkes CBE, Chief Executive and Principal, The Sheffield College, said: “It is important that our students develop an understanding of their role as citizens and how democracy works, particularly given plans to lower the voting age in future.
“Meeting Sheffield’s elected representatives in Parliament and being able to directly discuss the issues that matter to them is a great way to find out more about citizenship and democracy. We would like to thank Louise Haigh MP for taking part.”
Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield Heeley, said: “It was wonderful to speak to young people at The Sheffield College during UK Parliament Week and to see how politically engaged and aware they were.
“It’s important that we speak to young people about the many issues they are concerned about from AI to online safety and the world of work to the future of the economy. I was so impressed with their deep understanding and their commitment to make change.”
Georgia Ashton, President of The Sheffield College Students’ Union, said: “It was great to meet Louise Haigh MP. We learnt about confidence in public speaking through authenticity, practicing your delivery and preparing thoroughly.
“We also enjoyed discussing lots of topics such as the benefits and dangers of artificial intelligence, the importance of transparency for politicians and recent legislation changing non-disclosure agreements to support some victims of crime.”
The college offers a broad curriculum that includes apprenticeships, vocational diplomas, A Levels, T Levels, access courses, and foundation and honours degrees, which is delivered across five main campuses - the Advanced Technology Centre, City Campus, Hillsborough Campus, Peaks Campus and Pennine 5.
The next series of general open days take place on 22nd January 2026. Book your place.
Pictured: Louise Haigh MP discussed a range of topics with The Sheffield College students. Photo credit: The Sheffield College.
